How we took the first step to declutter mums home

If you have been following you will know that my mum recently passed away very suddenly.  Mum and I were different in so many ways, I love baking she wasn’t a fan, my favourite colour is pink she can’t stand anything pink, I’m a minimalist and she lived in a very cluttered home.  Mum did not always have a cluttered home, in fact growing up it was clean and tidy, everything had its place and I remember one room was perfectly decorated which we children weren’t allowed to go in.

After mum’s mum passed away I saw changes in her.  She found it hard to throw things away, she couldn’t resist the 2 for 1 sales and she often purchased something just in case she needed it ‘one day’.  Her perfectly organised home soon became very cluttered.  I could tell mum didn’t like it, but she also didn’t want to talk about it.  When we spoke of the cardboard boxes that were slowly taking over her sun room she tried to change the subject or walk away.

I tried many times sharing a decluttering book with mum that I found at the library, she nearly threw it back at me.  I tried to offer my help but she insisted she didn’t need to get rid of anything, she was happy sorting through it in her own time.  The more I tried the more it pushed us apart.  With the encouragement from friends to start my blog to share my recipes, printables and ideas I also started it with the hope to try to help mum.  Hoping she would read it and see my weekly decluttering tasks and follow along.  Unfortunately this didn’t happen.

One emotion I have been going through the past few weeks is failure, because I wasn’t able to help her.  But what pushes me through this is the wonderful messages I have received from my readers in how they just needed a challenge, a simple suggestion to get them on the path to part with their clutter and organising their home.  I am learning we are all different and I understand that when YOU are ready you will make the start and I WILL BE HERE for YOU.